The Bank Theatre and Meeting Place WHERE COMMUNITY GATHERS

The Bank Theatre will undergo extensive renovations fall/winter 2017 into 2019. Officially announced Monday, October 23, the Municipality of Leamington will match dollar for dollar private and corporate sector donations up to $400,000 with a deadline of six months! YOU DID it, thank you!

We thank our community, the Municipality of Leamington, our funders and sponsors within the private and corporate sector for their generous and continued support toward completion of your state of the art facility, where community gathers!

The Bank Theatre Raises Curtain to $400,000 - Fundraising Continues

The Bank Theatre raised the curtain Monday, April 23rd, 2018 at the Municipality of Leamington Council Chambers, meeting the challenge given by the Municipality to raise $400,000 for renovations to the theatre from private and corporate donors. By meeting the task, the Municipality of Leamington will match that amount from an estate fund left to the town for the arts. Monies raised now matched by the Municipality garner $800,000 for the theatre.

Ursula Tiessen, President of The Bank Theatre joined by Board Member Dennis Dick expressed their many thanks to council and the community.

Tiessen said “I have to be honest, the task seemed daunting, but we were up for the challenge. I’m happy to report that we were able to raise the full amount of $400,000, in fact, we are actually a bit over with some donations still to come. We did it! We couldn’t have done it without the many generous donations large and small. This is great news for the theatre, the uptown core and our whole community!”

The matching fund campaign began October 23, 2017, in council chambers with a deadline of 6 months to meet the challenge. By the new year, donations had come in, raising the curtain to $100,000. Michael Honey and his father Gary came forward with a $100,000 contribution from the Honey Family Foundation. The contribution brought the campaign to the halfway point and the Honey family hoped it would inspire others to make donations.

“From that point, corporate sector contributions and naming rights began to come in from Uni-Fab, Rotary Club of Leamington, Hicks, MacPherson, Iatonna & Driedger LLP, Mastronardi Produce Ltd., South Essex Fabricating, Envest Corp & Seacliff Energy to name a few,” said Dennis Dick, co-chair of The Bank Theatre building committee.

Culture and Tourism Developer of the Municipality of Leamington Kyra Knapp presented a report later in the evening to council chambers indicating that 38% of millennials identify music and entertainment as a top interest when they visit a town or city. Mayor Paterson reflected that “this brings us back to the great work as demonstrated tonight by representatives of The Bank Theatre to bring performing arts to the community.”

Ursula Tiessen then invited Mayor Paterson to raise the curtain the final $25,000, along with The Bank Theatre fundraising committee as well as Michael and Francine Honey, saying “Your tremendous support really helped us to meet this goal.” Tiessen went on to say “This does not complete our fundraising efforts, but with these funds, we are well on our way to completing the theatre. Our goal is to complete as much as we can before we reopen. We are so thankful to all of our community for your support.”For more information visit www.banktheatre.com

Mayor Paterson reveals $400,000 raised. Left to right Dennis Dick Board Member The Bank Theatre, Leamington Mayor John Paterson, The Bank Theatre President Ursula TiessenPhoto by Dale Butler ​

March 6, 2018 Leamington, ON The Honey Family Foundation, at the WindsorEssex Community Foundation, brings The Bank Theatre a very generous contribution of $100,000 towards their revitalization project; creating a state of the art facility in Leamington. The Honey Family Foundation has previously donated $75,000 towards naming the Green Room at the Theatre. They have come back to the table, as part of the Bank Theatre Matching Program, with a second contribution in hopes that it will incite other individuals, foundations and corporations in the community to follow suit.Michael Honey, of the Honey Family Foundation, encourages support for the community theatre stating that “this donation is the second donation made by the Honey Family Foundation in backing this strategic community project. This donation is also a challenge to existing donors to do the same. We are half way there. Let's get the job done!”As part of the presentation at Leamington Council meeting March 5, 2018, Ursula Tiessen of The Bank Theatre brings thanks from the group. “This is such a great community initiative that helps round out our municipal offerings to our residents” notes Tiessen. “What an amazing opportunity for everyone to get involved and be part of the success story!”Since November 2017, the Sun Parlour Players Community group has raised over $95,000 in contributions. “With the donation from The Honey Family Foundation, this represents nearly 50% of the $400K community matching program that Council supported in the Fall of 2017,” remarks Mayor John Patterson. “Council and Administration are beyond pleased to see our community come together to support The Bank Theatre. Thank you to the Honey Family Foundation for being an example of generosity in our community and for their continued support of the Bank Theatre.”Community fundraising efforts to support the renovations are ongoing and every dollar raised, both from private citizens and corporate sponsors will be matched by the Municipality of Leamington. The Municipality matching support program is capped at $400,000 and is in effect until April 2018. This total to date is the culmination of individual & corporate financial donations and fundraising events. For those interested in making a donation to the Bank Theatre Matching Program or for more information, please visit www.banktheatre.com.

Uni-Fab Donates $50,000 to The Bank Theatre

Today marked another milestone for The Bank Theatre as they raised the curtain to $250,000.00 with a cheque for $50,000 coming in from Uni-Fab. The cheque presented by Uni-Fab owners Abe & Lisa Fehr was accepted on behalf of The Bank Theatre by President Ursula Tiessen and Board Member Dennis Dick. "We've donated to many organizations, including Leamington Flyers and wanted to support another important part of our community; the arts." said Abe Fehr. We're happy to support The Bank Theatre and the wonderful entertainment they bring into our community.

Uni-Fab is a global provider in custom fabrication of aluminum, steel and stainless steel products. As one of the largest metal fabrication shops in Ontario they develop industry-leading solutions for automotive, aerospace and machine tool manufacturers. To learn more please visit their website www.uni-fab.on.ca/

Rotary Club of Leamington Donates $10,000 to The Bank Theatre

The Bank Theatre President Ursula Tiessen visits The Rotary Club of Leamington

The Rotary Club of Leamington members attended Dale's Friday Coffee House on Friday, March 23rd, 2018 and presented The Bank Theatre with a generous donation of $10,000 toward theatre renovations. The donation doubles with the matching fund campaign with the Municipality of Leamington.

Ursula Tiessen had visited the Rotary Club of Leamington, on February 26th, 2018 (story below) to talk about the campaign and happenings at The Bank Theatre.

Proceeds for the fundraising campaign have now reached $275,000. Renovation and construction will continue until fall 2018. The Rotary Club of Leamington is pleased to support this worthy community project.

"Ursula Tiessen, President of The Bank Theatre and Meeting Place, visited The Rotary Club of Leamington on Feb. 26th to talk about the fundraising launch for the next, and final phase of the theatre’s renovations. The club members enjoyed seeing several photos of the renovations that are presently underway, and Ursula confirmed that the project is on track and is now more than halfway through renovations.Community fundraising efforts to support the renovations are ongoing and every dollar raised, both from private citizens and corporate sponsors are matched by the Municipality of Leamington. The Municipality matching support program is capped at $400,000. and is in effect until April 2018.Over the past few years, The Bank Theatre and Meeting Place has grown and it is expected this mass renovation will result with the theatre becoming an important community hub for high-quality entertainment.Rotary looks forward to following the progress of this renovation project. Our thanks to The Rotary Club of Leamington! For more information about The Rotary Club of Leamington please visit https://portal.clubrunner.ca/643/​Press and photos provided by - The Rotary Club of Leamington.

The Bank Theatre is undergoing extensive renovations to bring the theatre to a state of the art facility. 3 photos on the left show current work being done.

Top right - The Bank Theatre has raised 103,000 to date. Deadline to match $400,00 with the Municipality of Leamington April 23, 2017.